Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to inventory management methods and systems, and signal emitting members, such as radio frequency identification tags, systems, and the like, for application in a variety of industries, such as the health care industry. In particular, the present invention relates to a device and method for attaching at least one radio frequency identification tag (or other signal emitting member) to an item to be tracked, such as for attaching such tags to a medical device.
Description of Related Art
Presently, in the health care industry, complex and expensive equipment and systems are utilized in the diagnosis and care process. As the development of this equipment and associated systems continues, the necessity to monitor and track the usage is of the utmost importance. Certain drawbacks and deficiencies exist in the prior art, including (1) theft of the equipment or its components; (2) inaccurate manual compliance and tracking methods; (3) ineffective and inefficient compliance monitoring and similar management; (4) inefficient equipment sharing and distribution; (5) high repair costs; (6) difficulty in tracking; (7) inaccurate identification and tracking methods, etc.
Many medical devices, such as endoscopes, are highly complex and expensive medical instruments to purchase, maintain, and repair. Unfortunately, equipment theft does occur, with some hospitals reporting the annual loss of 5-7 endoscopes, which, as stated, are extremely expensive to replace. According to the prior art, and especially in those procedures involving the use of many medical devices and equipment, such as endoscopes, compliance with hospital protocol is an entirely manual process, i.e., using “pen and paper”.
A solution to accurately and efficiently track the location of usage of equipment in the health care industry and in a wide variety of other industries is to attach at least one Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag to the equipment. Such tags include a microchip and a signal emitting member, such as a transmitter, programmed to emit a unique radio signal that can be read by a local control device in communication with a signal receiving device (e.g., an antenna) that is configured to receive and process the signal emitted by the signal emitting member. When an RFID tag having a unique identification frequency is scanned by a local control device in a particular location, the local control device communicates with a database to log the location of the item being tracked. Such systems are well known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
The problem with RFID-based tracking systems is that the ability to track items using RFID technology depends on the ability to attach an RFID tag to the item. Since items that can be tracked using RFID technology come in many different shapes, sizes, materials, and configurations, RFID tags have to be specifically designed for the item to be tracked. Such RFID tag designs may, by necessity, require permanent/semi-permanent attachment to the item to be tracked or alteration of the item to be tracked, may interfere with operation and use of the item to be tracked, and, if the item to be tracked is large, bulky, or irregular, may require that the item to be tracked be lifted, handled, and manually searched to scan the RFID tag. Additionally, as it relates specifically to the health care industry, the RFID tag may trap dirt, moisture, and other contaminants between itself and the item to be tracked, necessitating additional cleaning of the tag and the device, and removal of the tag to accomplish such cleaning